DIY Chalkboard Wall Ideas for Playroom
UPDATE: I did remove this chalkboard wall. To see how I removed and painted over this chalkboard check out our post here.
I started searching for chalkboard wall design ideas for the kid’s playroom and was coming up with nothing! So, I must give the credit for this project to my sister Rach!
With warmer days coming to an end here in Maryland, I knew that I needed to put a chalkboard inside our home. Our family had spent so much time over the summer drawing with chalk in the driveway.
Well when I brought it up to Rachel, she immediately said, you should do the cute little house chalkboard Joanna Gaines did in Fixer Upper!! I had no memory of and could not picture this chalkboard she was referring to! After some digging, she was able to find a goggle image and sent it my way. So, with that as inspiration my project was set into motion.
First, I ordered myself some chalkboard paint as well as some magnetic primer. I used some scrap board I had saved from making a platform bed for my parents’ beach house. These boards were the cutoffs from those used to create the slates that hold the mattress.
I debated the best placement for the wall and settled on a small space between two storage closet doors. If I’m being honest, I wish I went with the larger wall and made this area at least double the size!! With two littles, they stand shoulder to shoulder and yell at each other for writing over the other…
Step One: Cut Boards to Desired Pitch
I wish I could tell you I used a perfect mathematical angle measurement to cut and fit in the house top but it was far from that.
Holding the two boards which would make the roof pitch, I found an angle that I liked! Next, I marked the boards where they were hitting on the trim. Once these two cuts were made, I held the boards together and marked where they should meet. I planned on painting this section white and knew I could use filler to fill any spacing gap so I wasn’t at all worried about it being perfect!
Step Two: Nail the Boards to the Wall
With the boards fit into place, I nailed them up! After nailing the boards, I started working from the pitch down. My plan was to add boards until a single board went straight across. For me with the 4” width boards that was only 3 boards.
Step Three: Cut the Boards to Fill in the Pitch
To cut these boards, I again used a specialized method… construction paper! I drew the angles on to construction paper as I held it up against the wall, cut it out, and traced it onto the boards! I used clamps and my circular saw to make the cuts. This worked out well for me.
Once all of the interior boards were cut, I nailed them all up!
Step Four: Tape off the Sides & Roof
To make painting just a bit easier, I taped up the sides and along the base of the roof with painters tape.
Step Five: Paint the Magnetic Primer
I painted two coats of the magnetic primer as recommended on the directions. I couldn’t help trying it out in between coats! In the picture below you can still see the old wall color a bit!
Step Six: Fill any Gaps & Holes in the Roof
While the first coat of magnetic primer dried, I added some filler in the space of the roof pitch. Then I painted the second coat of the magnetic primers.
The longest part of this project was definitely waiting in between the number of coats of paint!
Once the primer was dry, I sanded the filler so that I would have a smooth finish with the white paint.
Step Seven: Paint Chalkboard Paint
Once the primer was dry, I did two coats of the chalkboard paint over top of the magnetic primer. The chalkboard paint needs to dry for at least 24 hours before any use. allowed that to dry and then painted two coats of white paint on the roof section to finish it off!
Step Eight: Paint the Roof Boards
To finish up my chalkboard wall, I painted the roof board white. I did not use nay primer on the boards so ended up painting 3 coats of white trim paint.
I intend to do much more work in this room. It needs to be painted and the carpet replaced with laminate. Don’t be surprised if you see an update where I end up taking this wall down, painting the whole room and redoing this on a larger wall! For now, this has been great to play with magnets and let the kids scribble and get creative.
Supplies
DIY Chalkboard Wall Ideas for Playroom
Equipment
- Circular Saw
- Brad Nailer
- Construction Paper
- Painter's Tape
- Paint Roller (or Paint Brush)
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
materials
- 1 pint Chalkboard Paint
- Magnetic Paint
- Nails
- 2 pieces Furring Strip Board
- White Paint
- Plastic Wood Filler
Instructions
- First, measure and cut boards to desired pitch and width.
- Nail the boards to the wall.
- Next, cut the boards to size to fill in the pitch.
- Use painter's tape to tape up the sides and roof.
- Paint 2 coats of magnetic paint.
- Use Plastic Wood Filler to fill any gaps in the roof.
- Paint 2 coats of chalkboard paint on top of the magnetic paint!
- Finally, paint the roof white.